Institutional Monetary Heteronomy as a Theoretical Framework for Officially Dollarized Economies
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Abstract
The Theory of Optimum Currency Areas (TOCA), developed by Robert Mundell, provides a key framework for assessing the suitability of adopting a common currency. This article examines its principles, conceptual evolution, and relevance for Ecuador and El Salvador, two Latin American economies that have officially dollarized. Using a theoretical-hermeneutical approach, it evaluates the benefits and limitations of dollarization based on the classic criteria of Mundell, McKinnon, and Kenen, assessing whether these economies meet the conditions of an optimal currency area. The analysis finds that, although dollarization has strengthened price stability and macroeconomic credibility, neither country fully satisfies TOCA’s theoretical requirements. Their dollarization appears driven by institutional constraints, reduced sovereignty, and the search for credibility than by autonomous economic fundamentals. Consequently, the article argues that the Monetary Heteronomy Model constitutes a more appropriate conceptual framework for understanding the loss of sovereignty, structural dependence, and conditional stability inherent in dollarized monetary regimes.
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